East Sea (East Blue).
Shimotsuki Village.
Isshin Dojo.
From the central dojo, a chorus of "Hya! Hya! Hya!" echoes, accompanied by the buzzing swish of bamboo swords slicing through the air.
Under a cherry blossom tree in the backyard, sprawled on the grass, lies a silver-haired boy of about eleven years old. A book covers his face, titled The Logbook of an Unknown Navigator.
A spring breeze sweeps through, sending cherry blossom petals dancing. In the morning sunlight, they shimmer with the glint of unevaporated dew.
"Sora, you're slacking off again!"
A girl, around ten, dressed in a white T-shirt and baggy shorts, her deep blue hair catching the light, dashes out of the dojo, gripping a bamboo sword. Her youthful face, still rounded with a hint of baby fat, puffs up in frustration. Her bright, sparkling eyes reflect the fluttering petals as she glares at the boy under the tree.
"Time to train!"
Sora, basking in the morning sun, lifts the book shielding his eyes, revealing a cute, delicate face. Squinting up at the girl, he yawns and shakes his head lazily.
"Kuina, huh? The weather's too nice. Let me sleep a bit longer… just a bit."
The warm sunlight feels so comfortable, so inviting, that he squints again and rolls over.
Kuina, eyeing Sora's utterly slothful demeanor, rolls her eyes and pouts. She crouches down, grabs his hand, and shakes it.
"Sora, come on! Get up! Why've you been so lazy lately? You used to train like your life depended on it!"
Without opening his eyes, he mumbles lazily, "Dunno. Maybe it's my time of the month or something. Just don't feel like moving."
"Sora!" Kuina yanks her hand free, clenching her fists and lightly bopping him a few times. "Can't you talk like a normal person?"
He sighs. "I hit a wall recently. Training hard isn't doing much. I asked Master, and he said, 'You'll break through when you're enlightened.' Total nonsense. So I'm thinking about how to get past this bottleneck."
Kuina's eyes light up. "So, Sora, you're saying you're close to reaching Swordmaster level? That's amazing!"
Her smile fades as a thought strikes her, her expression shifting from joy to worry.
"Hey, Sora… when will I become a Swordmaster? Father always says female swordsmen have flaws and can never be the strongest. I know what those flaws are, but I'm not okay with it!"
Feeling her grip tighten on his arm, Sora turns, opening his eyes. His pupils, a misty silver-blue swirled with nebula-like patterns, resemble a starry night sky—mesmerizing, almost otherworldly.
His otherwise unremarkable features (think Tony Leung levels of ordinary charm) are elevated by those stunning eyes, making him strikingly handsome.
Sora's gentle gaze meets Kuina's. He reaches out, smoothing the crease between her brows, then places a warm hand on her head, ruffling her hair. His voice is firm, resolute.
"Of course you will, Kuina. You'll become the world's greatest female Swordmaster. Promise me, Guina."
"What…?"
"No more hesitation, no more sadness. Just keep your will strong and charge forward. With me here, you will become the strongest."
Kuina, soothed by Sora's encouraging words, rests her head on his chest, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Her doubts begin to melt away.
"Yeah… Sora, I'm so glad you're here."
Her voice grows firmer. "I promise."
Sora squints up at the sun, his eyes clouded with reminiscence.
It's been nearly five years since he arrived in this world, and he still doesn't know how he got here.
Back on Earth, he was Li Xiaokong, an ordinary programmer. When he first arrived, language barriers made him think he'd landed in ancient Japan—everyone spoke Japanese.
Neither Koshiro nor Kuina could understand him at first. They caught only the "Xio" from his name, so they called him that. Later, feeling a single character was too plain, they added "Ra," making him Xiora—Sora.
Growing up in an orphanage, he was introverted, friendless, and, by his college years, a full-fledged otaku obsessed with anime. At thirty, he had a car, a house, but no hair or girlfriend. He'd just resolved to turn his life around and find love when he woke up floating on the sea.
His cozy mattress? Gone. His 120-square-meter apartment? Gone. His body? Shrunk to that of a five-year-old kid.
He still shudders thinking about it.
Thankfully, his transmigrator cheat code kicked in. His body had mutated, enveloped in countless layers of spatial energy, like a bubble of infinite dimensions. The seawater couldn't touch him.
He drifted for two days, miraculously avoiding sea beasts, until, half-starved and delirious, he was rescued by Koshiro, who was out on village business.
At first, Sora couldn't control his ability. No one could touch him—objects stopped a finger's breadth from his skin, blocked by invisible spatial layers. Only when he willed it could others reach him.
Within a year, he learned the local language and realized this was the world of One Piece. No wonder Koshiro looked so familiar.
His silver hair and eyes? A side effect of his spatial mutation during the crossing, which he calls his "Spatial Physique." His body constantly emits layers of space, creating an infinite distance around him.
The closer you get, the more layers you'd need to cross—an inch becomes a chasm. Only when he allows it can anyone breach that infinite gap, which is why he didn't sink into the sea.
Over the years, he's gained partial control, turning this passive barrier into an active ability. He can expand it into a spatial field, freezing space within it—though the strength of the target matters, and maintaining it drains his stamina and focus. The more layers, the greater the control, but also the greater the cost.
His physique lets him see dense spatial nodes around him, allowing him to step through them for effortless teleportation, as natural as walking.
His mental strength, also enhanced by the crossing, awakened Observation Haki within a year. Combined with his spatial perception, he can sense nodes without using his eyes, which are limited by distance.
He seems invincible defensively, but offense is his weakness. Without attack power, he can't protect those he cares about. When he learned this was the One Piece world, he was terrified—plenty of abilities here could kill him.
But his body keeps growing stronger, an effect of the infinite spatial layers, and it's accelerating as he matures. With relentless training, he's confident he'll soon awaken Armament Haki.
This growing strength fuels his confidence. He's certain he'll stand at the world's pinnacle.
"Kuina!" Koshiro's voice calls from the dojo.
"Coming!" Kuina, kneeling nearby, replies, springing up and hurrying back.
Sora snaps out of his reverie, watching her retreating figure. The dojo's clamor and a distinctive, childish challenge voice reach his ears, sparking an odd smile.
He stands, brushes the dust off his pants, and picks up the bamboo sword and book leaning against the tree. Slotting the sword into a nearby rack, he tucks the book under his arm, rests his right hand behind his head, and strolls toward the dojo.
An interesting guy's here.
(End of Chapter)